The sharp, staccato sound of British gunfire during the attack—”pepe ! pepe !! pepe!!!” – thus became the origin of the name: “Ogun Pepe”.
In the war, the Alaafin was injured in the leg but mysteriously escaped to Oke-Owinni where he reported Bower to the Catholic Bishop of Oyo. After six days of intense war, the Catholic Bishop mediated and after a negotiated Treaty, Alaafin was allowed to make a triumphant entry back to his Palace.
The citizens of Oyo celebrated his return with great fanfare, hailing his resilience and symbolic victory.
The planned ceremonial re-enactment of the “Ogun Pape” by the Alaafin and his subjects therefore stands as a testament to the resilience of Yoruba sovereignty in the face of imperial aggression and confrontation. This commemoration seeks not only to remember that moment of loss but to draw enduring lessons that speak powerfully to our present and future existence.
Alaafin will also employ the memorialization programme to unveil some of the strategies he is employing to repatriate some of the artifacts, including: crowns, gold, beads and other monumental items, that the British soldiers took away from the palace during the “Pepe” War.